The subject for today is kindergarten education

MANILA, Philippines - The Kindergarten Education Act, also known as House Bill 3826, seeks to institutionalize kindergarten education in the Philippines as part of basic education (to be made mandatory and compulsory) beginning School Year 2011/2012. For public schools, the kindergarten education program will be free of tuition and other school fees.

“Kindergarten education is something that greatly contributes to every child’s academic and technical development,” says Aurora Representative Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Jr., who also serves as the chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education. “It is during this crucial part of their lives that their capacity for learning and absorbing new things is at its peak, so it is about time that we enable all Filipino children to enjoy full access to such a vital part of education.”

According to the legislation, the kindergarten education program will be comprised of one year of preschool education for children aged five and above, which will be considered as a prerequisite for Grade 1. This, says Angara, is a timely and welcome change for Philippine education as the high dropout rate for Grade 1 to 3 public school students indicates the lack of academic preparedness for elementary school.

“We want to put our public schools on equal footing with the private institutions, where one to two years of preschool education is standard. In other countries, it is also regarded as an important part of the education curriculum — for instance, students in the United Kingdom undergo two to three years of preschool education, while students in other Southeast Asian countries go through three to four years of it,” he reveals.

The act also pushes for the conceptualization and development of a regular training program for kindergarten teachers to ensure that teaching styles, methodologies and approaches are always in line with modern trends in and issues on education.

“Quality education is a must, so we want to constantly train our teachers to be at par with the educational standards we have set, and also allow them to properly respond to the changing landscape of Philippine education by always keeping them in the loop,” Angara adds.

Apart from the Kindergarten Education Act, Angara is also currently working on an anti-bullying legislation that he hopes will make a significant difference in the classroom setting. Entitled the Anti-Bullying Act of 2010 (or House Bill 3812), the act advocates a safe learning environment for all Filipino students by promoting a culture of peace and harmony among pupils and a zero tolerance policy on bullying.

“Bullying in any form should never be tolerated,” stresses Angara. “Through the Anti-Bullying Act, we aim for the implementation of anti-bullying policies in schools to provide a platform for young victims to speak out and seek help.”

Policies may vary from school to school, he adds, but must contain the following non-negotiables: acts that define bullying, prohibition of bullying in all school-related activities and venues, appropriate consequences for specific acts of bullying, information awareness on bullying and dissemination, and the role of school employees who are witnesses to a bullying act.

The bill also includes provisions for protection of students or school employees who may be victims of false accusations, as well as specific penalties for bullying incidents. Depending on the level of bullying, the individual may be required to undergo mandatory counseling, enter a rehabilitation center or face expulsion from the school.

“Quality education and a safe and positive learning environment go hand in hand,” Angara says. “It’s important that we all work together to provide young people with the opportunity for maximum learning in a peaceful and violence-free setting.”